How to Use Clearly Free with Gemini CLI, OpenRouter, and Codex

Most AI design tools bundle the model into the subscription. You pay a flat fee, they mark up the inference, and you get no say in which model runs or what it costs. Clearly does the opposite. It is bring-your-own-key from the ground up: you point it at a model you already pay for — or one that is free — and the design workspace runs on top of it.

That means you can use the full canvas — generate editable vectors, compose whole pages and decks, drive it from your coding agent — for the cost of your own tokens. If your key is on a free tier, that cost is zero.

Here is how to set it up with the three keys developers reach for most.

Why BYOK matters

Bundled inference is convenient until you look at the bill. You are paying a design tool a margin on top of what the model already costs, and you are locked to whatever model they chose. Bring-your-own-key flips both problems:

• You control the cost. A free-tier key costs nothing. A paid key costs exactly what the provider charges — no markup.
• You control the model. Want a bigger model for a hero illustration and a cheap one for bulk work? Swap keys per project.
• You control the data path. Prompts go to your provider under your account, not through a middleman.

For a developer or designer who already has a Gemini, OpenRouter, or OpenAI account, this turns Clearly from "another subscription" into "a canvas on top of tokens I already have."

Option 1: Gemini CLI (the free path)

Google's Gemini CLI ships with a genuinely usable free tier. If you have run it once, you already have a key.

1. Open Clearly and go to your workspace settings, Model / API keys.
2. Paste your Gemini key and select a Gemini model.
3. Generate. Every design call now routes through your free-tier quota.

This is the setup we recommend for anyone who wants to evaluate Clearly at zero AI cost. You get the full canvas and pay nothing for the model until you decide to move to a larger one.

Option 2: OpenRouter (swap models freely)

OpenRouter is the right choice if you like to experiment. One key gives you dozens of models behind a single endpoint, and several of them are free.

1. Grab an OpenRouter key from your OpenRouter dashboard.
2. Add it in Clearly's model settings.
3. Pick a model. Start with a free one to evaluate, move to a stronger paid model for finished work — same key, no reconfiguration.

Because OpenRouter exposes many models at once, this is the best way to A/B a cheap model against a premium one on the same brief and see the quality difference for yourself.

Option 3: Codex / OpenAI

If you already build with Codex or the OpenAI API, reuse that key.

1. Copy your OpenAI/Codex key.
2. Paste it into Clearly's model settings and select the model.
3. Generation now bills to your existing OpenAI account.

No new relationship, no second bill — the design work rides on the account you already manage.

What "free" actually covers

With a free-tier key, here is what you get at zero AI cost:

• Prompt to editable vector — describe a logo, icon, or illustration and get clean SVG where every node is a real, editable layer. See what editable SVG means.
• Compose whole layouts — a landing page, a pitch deck, or a one-page brief in a single prompt, laid out on a real type scale.
• Agent-driven design — the same canvas your coding agent can drive over MCP (more on that in our Claude Code guide).

The workspace itself is free to start. You upgrade Clearly — not the model — when you need unlimited canvases, more agents, or a team.

When to upgrade the model (not the tool)

Free-tier models are excellent for iterating, blocking out layouts, and most vector work. Reach for a paid model when you want:

• A large, detailed hero illustration where fidelity matters
• Long, structured documents where reasoning quality shows
• Consistent brand output across a big batch

Because it is BYOK, that is a one-line change — swap to a stronger model key — not a plan migration.

The bottom line

Clearly is a design canvas that runs on the model you choose. Bring a free key and you design for free. Bring a paid key and you pay the provider directly, with no tool markup. Either way, you own the model, the cost, and the data path.

Start free with Clearly → — add your Gemini, OpenRouter, or Codex key and design at your own cost.